Internationally acclaimed experimental artist Firoz Mahmud is exhibiting his latest venture titled Soaked Dream at
the Goethe-Institut in Dhanmondi.
The photography based multimedia project addresses the social hopes through personal encounters and stories of life in the German capital Berlin where poetry met pragmatism.Goethe-Institut Dhaka has commissioned Mahmud as part of its Berlin Live programme to create an art project related to Berlin as the theme.
The exhibition displays photographs of nine families, all having a special common relation to Berlin.
The exhibition also includes a projected video clip of the same characters in the photographs to relate how the characters of his project see themselves and their dreams for the future.
‘It is a rebirth of collective hope and dream that families and their children would like to cherish their vision in their prosperous life and future and also cherish a vision of their own city Berlin through green eyeglasses,’ Firoz Mahmud told New Age.
Green symbolises growth, harmony and better future. It is also a reflection of his connection with his own fascination for Germany having Bangladesh root.
This concept has been reflected symbolically in selecting the characters and their presentations in general.
‘I visited Berlin several times in the past six months and selected the characters top deliver the message of project. Some of these characters have German origin who have spouses from Bangladesh, USA, Italy and others,’ Firoz added.
The main statement of his work is to create moments of dreaming and used for that objects which he found by the families he encountered as part of the project. His works has full of implementation and hints which indicates links to socio-political culture, myth, tradition, universal common idea, pop culture ideas.
‘I make green eyeglasses from waste materials such as old Pringle chips container and Coca Cola or other soft drink plastic glasses thrown away by the families,’ said Mahmud.
The women in his photographs use green glasses with three hole frames, which is an abstract variation of bindis (a small coloured sticker worn by the women on their forehead which is a fashion in South Asia) while the men are equipped with the normal version of glasses.
‘I reconstructed a full-scale contemporary version of childhood among people whose vision is to reconstruct Berlin in the near future in terms of politics, glamour, culture, living, art, music, literature, film and others,’ Firoz Mahmud said.
‘The project reflects children and each family’s look to revamp Berlin through their green eye-glasses,’ he added.
Began on October 1 the exhibition will remain open until October 21.
-With New Age input
